


The Nightmare Gathering Before Christmas

by Sgt_Pepperony94



Series: New Memories, New Life [13]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 16:50:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5382998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sgt_Pepperony94/pseuds/Sgt_Pepperony94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hardys host a Christmas party and typically, things go wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Nightmare Gathering Before Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LizAnn_5869](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizAnn_5869/gifts).



> Title: The Nightmare Gathering Before Christmas  
> Author: Sgt. Pepperony  
> Fandom: Broadchurch  
> Rating: T  
> Pairing: Alec/Ellie (established)  
> Disclaimer: As far as I am aware, I do not own Broadchurch or the characters. All property belongs to Chris Chibnall. OCs are mine.  
> And part two of my Christmas gifts, this one to LizAnn and if you’re on ff then head over to AO3 and check out her work. Also shout out to Nannyogg who proofread this for me and helped out on a great deal of stuff.

Christmas in Broadchurch arrived fairly swiftly with all the festive trinkets of fairy lights, arrests for illegal chopping down of trees, the odd dash of snow and more frequent dashes to the supermarket. So when Ellie Hardy, despite being heavily pregnant, decided she was hosting a gathering for the neighbours, Alec and Tom knew that this was going to spell trouble.

She should have been taking it easy, but the untimely death of Mr Heck across the street had sent her hormones into overdrive. Living alone, unfortunate Mr Heck wasn't found until a week after he died. Alec thought this seemed like too much work for her and she was overdoing it. Though after the incident involving a Pot Noodle he was not going to argue with her. Which is why she got Alec and Tom to do the heavy lifting while Daisy was on food, though according to her it meant crisps, mince pies and pretzels and no actual cooking besides the sausage rolls and cocktail sausages. The only thing that looked to have some effort put into it was the cheese and pineapple sticks

"It's not a dinner party, it's just something for people to nibble on," Daisy justified arranging the bowls of crisps and pretzels on the breakfast bar. “Well, there will be as long as Tom doesn’t eat it all before even the first guest arrives.”

"It'll do, I guess," Ellie replied, biting into a mince pie.

"Ow!" Tom yelled when his finger got caught between a doorway and a table. "Watch it."

"Sorry, but you did say left," Alec insisted.

"My left." They managed to get the furniture into the middle of the kitchen and they dropped it. "Why are we even moving it in here?"

"Because people will want space to mingle," Ellie answered. Rethinking, she added, "Mind you, they might want to mingle in here as well. I'd take it upstairs."

The two men groaned as they lifted the table again, "El, this is insane."

"I'm just thinking Alec that it's nice for people to talk in a kitchen with the smell of mulled wine."

"Oh god, is that what that is?"

"It’s Christmassy."

"It smells like an explosion in a spice factory. You run to vomit at the smell of tuna, but this is okay?" Alec then got his fingers trapped between the breakfast bar and the table. "Ow, fuck."

"It's like watching the Chuckle Brothers," Daisy commented.

"I think the Chuckle Brothers would have less trouble than these two," Ellie replied. The bell for the front door rang at that moment, "Bit early for guests isn't it?"

"It might just be my sister," Alec suggested as he and Tom got the table through the doorway into the hall.

"I thought she wasn't coming until Christmas Eve," Ellie pointed out as she waddled to the living room in order to get to the front door.

"My sister likes arriving early for things. Even twenty-four hours. I also might have mentioned there was a party. And if I remember correctly, Lucy is meant to be coming."

Ellie rolled her eyes and opened the door, only she was not greeted by Lucy or Jane, "Tess?"

"Tess?" Alec asked, turning his head.

"Mum?" Daisy queried from the kitchen and she was in a hallway within a few seconds. "What are you doing here?"

"Charming. Can I not see my daughter before Christmas considering I barely get to spend any time with you all year round?" Tess challenged, though Ellie wasn't too sure if she was genuinely offended or not. "Dave and I were just on the way to Devon when I thought I might as well drop off Daisy's present and a few cards. One's a congratulatory one for the baby."

"Right, thanks for that Mum."

Daisy gave her mother a somewhat awkward one-armed hug and took the bag.

"Are you having a clear out?" Tess asked noting the table.

"No, we're having a party," Ellie answered. "It's mostly for the neighbourhood, a few close friends and my sister and nephew, but you're welcome to join."

Alec then felt his stomach drop. The thought of his ex-wife and his heavily pregnant current wife at a party in his new home with way too much alcohol but carried the potential for disaster. Tom looked equally as nervous as Alec did, and so did Daisy.

"Are you sure because I left Dave in the car?"

"I don't think it would be a wise idea to bring him," Alec interjected. Ellie glared at him.

"You're right, it would make it awkward. I'll just come by myself."

"Okay, that's sorted. We'll see you later," Ellie said and as the goodbyes were exchanged, she turned to Alec, shaking his head. "What?"

"Was it a good idea to invite my ex-wife?"

"For God's sake, I was just being polite." Ellie went to the living room door and looked inside. "Where are you taking that table?"

"Upstairs, like you asked," Tom answered.

"Oh, wait, I think the table needs to go in the living room so we can put the drinks on." Alec and Tom glared at her in disbelief. "What?”

-o-

Alec had to keep repeating in his head that he loved Ellie as he got stuck in a conversation with George Blake, who was known for his less than politically correct views. His wife, Pam, and their next door neighbour Julia seemed to be rolling their eyes.

"Did you tell Dad you invited Mr Blake?" Daisy asked, biting onto a sausage roll.

"It must have slipped my mind," Ellie lied. "In all fairness, I invited Pam."

"And by extension..."

"I couldn't leave him out, he's a neighbour."

"Dad doesn't usually drink, but we're going to need to keep an eye on him tonight. That's his second."

"He'll be fine," Ellie said before she muttered, "I hope."

Alec put on a false smile as he allowed George to continue the rant about getting out of the European Union. Alec swag his drink down faster. He looked over to Tess, pleading silently for her to take his place. Only she seemed more interested in talking with Ellie.

Thankfully the doorbell rang which gave Alec an opportunity to escape, "Sorry, I should go get that." Once out of sight, he sighed in relief. It was short lived though, because the door opened to his sister’s happy face that quickly turned into a questioning look when she heard her brother’s greeting, "Jane? I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow."

"Well, I thought since the kids were with their dad, I thought I would come early. Give Ellie a chance to put her feet up," she replied. "Oh bloody hell. You're having your party tonight aren't you?"

"It's alright, family is welcome."

He let her step in. Once he took her coat and she was out of sight, Alec hit his head lightly on the wall. His sister and his ex-wife had never really got on. Jane always thought there was something off about Tess, which Alec knew was her way of saying Tess was kind of a bitch. After the divorce and everything had been revealed about Sandbrook, Jane's dislike of Tess only grown. If he could keep them separated then maybe a potential argument could be averted. In his desperation he was more than thankful that Tom had shown up.

“Tom, I need your help."

"What with?" Tom asked looking confused.

"Jane is here and so is Tess. They’re not fond of each other."

"And you need me because..."

"I need someone to keep them apart."

"I was going out."

"I'll pay you twenty quid."

Tom was all ears, "What do you want me to do?"

-o-

Meanwhile, Ellie had finally been able to sit down and put her feet up for a moment when she found herself being a target for Tess’s need for conversation.

“So how long do you have?” Tess asked Ellie, whilst sipping her wine.

“Five weeks. She’s getting bigger by the second.” Ellie was somewhat intimidated by sitting on the sofa alone with the other mother of Alec’s child. Even after all the years of knowing one another, Tess still felt like a stranger to Ellie. What made it more awkward since Tess couldn't bear more children and she had reacted to the pregnancy as well as could have been expected: looking fine on the outside, but clearly a bit pissed that Alec was getting his happy ever after. At the end of the day, she was Daisy’s mother so Tess had to be remain civil. “Doctor said she could be eight and a half pounds.”

“That's…”

“Big? I know. Mind you Tom was near enough nine pounds. I was a week overdue and stuffing Indian, Thai and Mexican food down my throat, thinking all that heat would induce.”

“Fred must have been like spitting out a watermelon seed.”

“Seven pounds eleven - Ow.” Ellie put her hand on her stomach and felt the air escape her lungs for a moment.

“You okay?” Tess seemed to show a flash of concern.

“Little madam’s just kicking.”

“Daisy used to punch me straight in the ribs.”

“Fred had a preference for my kidneys.”

“You have any names?”

“We’ve narrowed it down to Emily, Jennifer, Lauren, Amelia, Evelyn, and Poppy.”

“That’s a lot of names.”

“Well, they're the ones Alec and I can agree on. We had a massive debate over it because a lot of the names we liked tended to remind us of murder victims. Or murderers. I loved the name Lilly up until a few years back. We have five weeks to make a decision. Nothing to worry about.”

-o-

Alec felt as though he needed the space to breathe. Between ensuring Tess and Jane remain separated, and the headache of having Tess in his house in the first place, his head was frying. Then there was the feeling he had forgotten to do something.

“You alright there Dad?” asked Daisy.

“I think so.”

“You really don't want Mum here, do you?”

“Trust me when I say it's not your mum being here. Though if I had known Jane was coming I would have said no. We don't need a repeat of Jane’s fortieth.”

Daisy grimaced at the memory. She was eleven when it happened so it was still vaguely fresh in her mind, “You need me to keep Mum occupied?”

“Jane is going to want to see Ellie in a minute.”

“On it.”

Daisy immediately shot off and Alec sighed, very tempted to grab another drink.

“Oh the Missus and the Ex, welcome to your worst nightmare,” George commented, in an attempt to make a joke. Alec didn't laugh.

-o-

Ellie had found herself in the exact same conversation with Jane that she had with Tess. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Being pregnant seemed to not allow for much else to be talked about. Only a few days earlier, Beth, Maggie and Becca had dragged her into a similar talk. Ellie did appreciate it though that Jane wanted to talk about other things as well.

“So, Alec is now your boss again?”

“Yep. He starts as soon as the baby is born. I’m actually looking forward to having him back.”

“Really? The way you described working with him before he sounded like a right grump.”

“I know ways of putting him in a better mood.”

“I give my wee brother some credit, he puts the family first.”

The doorbell rang and Tom called, “I’ll get it.”

“I thought he had gone out.”

“Tom? No, I was speaking to him in the kitchen about ten minutes ago,” Jane said plainly.

“It’s Aunt Lucy,” Tom called again.

“Is she still with…?”

“Yeah,” Ellie answered dully. Lucy peaked her head through the living room door to say hello before retreating to the kitchen for the alcohol. Only Lucy’s ‘fiancé’ Dayton poked his head through the door. “Actually, I need to stretch my legs a bit.”

She pushed herself up and walked into the hallway to find Alec checking his phone. Dayton had gone into the living room, so they were left on their own. Ellie smirked and her hand gently tapped his bum, before grazing it. Alec’s attention was raised.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?” she asked.

“Getting some peace and quiet.”

“If George is getting on your nerves then I can just get him to leave.”

“No, it’s not that. I feel as though I have forgotten something.”

“You know what it is?”

“I can’t put my finger on it. It’ll come to me. Anyway, you feel okay?”

“Yeah, just trying to avoid Dayton before he tries to feel up my bump. I bloody hate it when people just touch my stomach without permission.”

“We don’t need a reminder of when you bit that waitresses head off. You could be in my position: trying to keep Jane and Tess away from one another.”

“Is that why Tom’s still here?”

“I owe him twenty quid. Is your sister okay?”

Ellie looked worried, “Why?”

“Because she’s been here five minutes and she’s on her third glass.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“You sure about this?”

“Positive.” He went in to kiss her gently, then the doorbell rang. “Beth?”

“No, that’ll be the couple from number ten.”

“Oh.” Alec went to get the door while Ellie went to see to her sister. Lucy was wrapping her arms around poor Mr Sanjav from three doors down, clearly having had one too many. “Luce, do you want to let him go.”

“Oh come on Ellie, he’s clearly having fun.”

"I'm just thinking that your… boyfriend is in the next room.”

"El, you know we're engaged.”

"Then maybe it isn't the best idea to climb Mr Sanjav like he’s a fireman’s pole.” Pregnant or not, Ellie was a lot fitter than Lucy so it wasn't that difficult to get her sister off the poor man. Lucy then pouted like a teenage girl. Ellie quickly got another chance to demonstrate her strength again when she her sister outside into the cold winter air. “Lucy, what's going on?”

“I told Oliver that I was marrying Dayton.”

“He didn’t take it well, I figure?”

“No, he told me he got a job in London. He’s going to move there.”

“Oh for fuck's sake, is that it? He’s almost thirty.”

“Coming from someone who only got herself pregnant again because she was panicking about her eldest son leaving.”

“Tom’s fifteen. He’s not leaving home any time soon. Luce, I know he’s been a real support for you. That said, London is not that far away.”

“It doesn’t feel the same does it?”

“What doesn’t?”

“Before Joe went and messed everything up.”

“Olly had been looking for a job in a national before Joe killed Danny, he just stayed because of what happened. Lucy, you’ve been sober for two years. I’m fine and so are the boys. It’s not that different. Now stop being a drama queen and have some water.”

-o-

“You know I still think you should have gone to university this year rather than this deferring a year nonsense,” Tess said when Daisy went to check on Fred.

"It's not like I didn’t get into York, but I just think it might be worth just getting proper work experience for a year. It’s not as though I am just taking off and going to Thailand.” Daisy tucked the duvet over Fred before reluctantly asking, “How is everything with you and Dave?”

“Peachy keen,” Tess answered, clearly lying. Daisy raised her eyebrow. “He thinks I’m jealous of your father.”

“I hate to say it but given your reaction to Ellie having a baby, he might be right.”

“I wasn’t jealous.”

“You were.”

“I was annoyed because I thought it was going to replace you in your dad’s affection.”

“Have you met Dad? And, I’m eighteen. I’m a mostly independent person.”

Before Tess could retaliate, they heard some banging coming from the bathroom.

-o-

While Daisy was bickering with her mother, Alec had brought Lucy to the bathroom to throw up. She’d made a fatal mistake and resumed drinking in spite of Ellie’s warnings.

“Do you think I can do better than Dayton?” Lucy asked, groaning as she rested her head on the toilet seat.

“It doesn’t really matter what I think Lucy; I’m just the man married to your sister.”

"You're more than that: you are the best thing to happen to her.”

“You don’t like me.”

“I never said I didn't like you.”

“You never said you did. Look are you going to be okay if I get you some water from downstairs?”

“Yeah whatever.”

Alec went to the door, only to find that there was no handle on it, “Damn it.” He started slamming on the wood in the hopes of getting someone's attention. “Help.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I forgot the door has no handle.”

“Can you fix it?”

“I was meant to earlier but then Ellie made me and Tom move a table to the exact same place it had been all along. Help!”

"Dad?" Daisy asked from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, Darlin’. Can you open the door? There’s no handle on my side.”

"There's no handle on this side either.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No, I thought you fixed it.”

“That’s what I forgot to do.”

“What’s going on?” Tess chimed in.

“Dad’s locked in the bathroom.”

 “Yeah, Lucy is locked in with me as well,” Alec said.

“Right, where is the toolbox Dad?”

“In the nursery, I think. I was finishing the changing table last night” He heard footsteps running upstairs. “Tess you still there?”

“Yeah. You alright?” she answered

“It’s a wee bit cramped if I’m honest.”

"Okay, just calm down.”

“I am calm.”

"Got it,” Daisy announced her return

“What are you going to do?” asked Tess.

“Take the door off its hinges.”

“Fine, make more work for me why don't you?” Alec muttered sarcastically.

“Has anyone seen Alec anywhere?” Ellie asked having come up the stairs.

“He’s stuck in the bathroom with Lucy,” Tess answered, seemingly getting more amused each time it was said.

Alec could hear Ellie snort, “Cheers El, laugh at my predicament.”

“Sorry. Are you both okay?”

“Well… your sister is now asleep on the floor.”

“Is she breathing?”

“I think so,” Alec commented, a bit caviller.

“Okay, got the first hinge off,” Daisy exclaimed proudly. Just then, Tom, having not realised the drama that was going on upstairs, emerged with Jane. “Oh no.”

“Tess, what are you doing here?” Jane asked, her Scottish accent having a slight bitterness to it.

“Oh no,” Alec muttered and hit his head against the wall.

“I came to see my daughter and then Ellie invited me to this party,” Tess explained like it was a common fact. Ellie rolled her eyes, as if she was saying that she shouldn’t be dragged into this conversation. “Is there a problem with that Jane?”

“It’s not my house. Who my brother and his wife invite is none of my business. Even if it is his cheating whore of an ex-wife.”

“Jane,” Alec warned.

“Oh right, because your marriage worked out so well,” Tess bit back.

“Yeah, but I never copped off with a co-worker.”

Ellie breathed and put her hand on her bump, suddenly feeling a bit worried about the pain in her stomach, “Guys?”

“Oh really, you’re going to start this in front of my daughter?”

“It’s not as if she doesn’t know.”

“Right, enough you two. This isn’t fair on Mum and Daisy,” Tom snapped.

“Exactly,” Alec added. “Tom, can you take Tess downstairs?” Tess sighed and followed Tom down the stairs. Jane leaned against the wall and sighed herself. “Jane, I know that you and Tess hate each other but it is Christmas and she’ll be gone by tomorrow. So suck it up, please, for me, Daisy and Ellie.”

Jane looked back and forth Daisy and Ellie, who was bracing herself against the banister, “Ellie are you okay?”

“Yeah, just Braxton Hicks.”

“Do you need me to get you anything?”

“Water, maybe.”

“El?” Alec asked through the door, concern obvious even with the single word.

Jane had gone to get the water by that point. Daisy was distracted from her job and just as she turned her head, Ellie cried out in pain and water trickled down her leg.

“Shit,” Ellie whimpered.

“Ellie, what’s going on?” Alec’s voice rang with his extreme worry for his wife.

“Dad, you promise not to panic?” Daisy inquired, though she knew it was futile. “I think Ellie’s in labour.”

“Right, stand back. I’m going to kick the door down.”

“Alec, is that really a wise idea?” Ellie asked, panting as she recovered from her contraction.

“I don’t care. You need me.”

“Dad, what about your back?”

“I don’t care. Besides, you’ve taken most of the hinges off.” Daisy cleared the area and it took about five good kicks before the door came down. Alec’s leg and back really hurt but Ellie was more of a concern to him. He hobbled over to her and rubbed her lower back. “Okay, I’m here.”

“It’s too early.”

“It’s okay, we’re going to get you to the hospital now.”

“Right, okay.” She was about to stand up straight and then doubled over again. “No, not moving.”

“El, don’t be ridiculous, you’re in premature labour.”

“I’ll go and call an ambulance,” Daisy said running to the house phone downstairs, only to see some commotion going on in the living room. “Hi, ambulance please. Nine Marine Terrace, Broadchurch. My stepmum has gone into labour five weeks early… and I think my aunt is about to kill my mother…. No, I don’t need the police. It’s just a saying… Right, thanks.” She hung up the phone and called up the stairs. “Ambulance is on its way.”

“Ambulance? Has something happened to Aunt Lucy?” Tom asked coming into the hall.

“No, the baby is coming.”

“What?”

He was just about to run upstairs to check his mother before Daisy stopped him. Ellie moaned loudly, which didn’t soften Tom’s worry.

“It is fine, ambulance is on its way. Though we might need another depending if this fight gets ugly. It’ll settle down in a minute.”

“You sure about that?”

“Oh yeah. It’s easier to let them get on with it.”

“I don’t know, your mum looks like she’s going to punch Jane in the face.”

“No that happens.”

“So I’ve spent the whole evening trying to keep them apart for nothing?”

“I thought Dad was paying twenty quid?”

“I suppose that’s something, but I do think we might have to intervene.”

“Why?”

“Your mum has Jane’s hair by the ponytail.”

“Shit. Mum!”

-o-

“Right, now are we going to act like grownups?” asked Daisy when she had sat Tess and Jane down at the kitchen table. They had sent most of the neighbours to their homes, though George, Pam, Julia, Dayton and Lucy were still there. And then there was Lucy out cold in the bathroom.

“I suppose,” Jane muttered.

“Okay, I think Mum’s been punished enough without you going at her. Trust me, I have done my fair share of the punishment, and as Dad said, it’s Christmas.”

“And they’re probably already stressed out enough without you two at each other’s throats,” Tom added.

“Well, I am not even going to be here tomorrow so don’t mind me if I leave,” Tess announced, getting out of her seat. “Contrary to what you may think, Jane, I did love Alec. Your brother isn’t the easiest person to live with sometimes.”

“I know,” Jane replied. “I know my brother is difficult, but he loved you, and maybe he loved Daisy more than you, but you should have said something before you decided to jump into bed with another bloke.”

“You think I don’t regret it?”

“You’re still with him,” Jane countered poignantly.

“I do regret it, and maybe you’re right: being with Dave doesn’t make me sleep easier at night. I lost the respect of my daughter. I got demoted down to DC after it kicked off in the papers. I get the odd snide look from Mrs Barclay, my ‘oh so conservative neighbour’. So yeah, I do regret what I did.”

“Yeah, but did you ever think how badly you affected Alec and Daisy? My brother nearly died because of what you did. Of course you didn’t because all you think about is yourself. You still had your job, the house, your daughter and your reputation intact. You genuinely didn’t give a shit about what happened to Alec so long as you were fine.”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Daisy snapped. “You two are acting like two five year olds in a playground. I’m over it. Dad’s way over it. It was you, Jane, that told him to stop holding onto a grudge he’s had since he was my age.”

“Exactly,” Tom added. “Do you really want to be in your seventies and still at each other’s throats? What if Daisy gets married? Do I have to resort to what Alec tried to do tonight so that you didn’t cause a scene? This is just a small party of people we barely know. A wedding that might involve all your relatives.”

Jane and Tess looked at each other for a moment and sighed. They both had to admit the teenagers had a point. Tom and Daisy had proven yet again that they had both been thrown into maturity too soon by the actions of at least one of their parents. At the end of the day, Alec and Daisy had moved forward from the Sandbrook disaster. Tess was still living with it, only it was in the shape of Dave.

“You know, we all need to move on from this. I think even Pippa’s mother has come to terms with what happened,” Daisy said quietly. “I’m not saying forgiveness is easy. I mean when we went to Scotland and I saw the resentment in Dad’s eyes towards Grandad, I saw myself. It wasn’t pretty. I forgave Dad, after about four years of being angry at him for making himself sick like that. Now, Mum, with it being Christmas, I forgive you.”

“Oh my love.” Tess pulled Daisy into a tight hug. “Thank you.”

“It’s okay Mum.” Daisy pulled out of the hug a bit and turned to Jane, her eyes almost pleading for her to let the dust settle. “Come on. Please.”

“Fine, but it’s for you Daisy.”

“I didn’t expect anything more.”

“Well, that’s all well and good then,” Tom muttered as he munched on a sausage roll.

The doorbell rang, much to everyone’s bewilderment. It turned out to be Beth, confused as to where all the guests were and the small gathering in the living room, “Have I missed something?”

-o-

The next morning, Daisy slogged downstairs and put the kettle on. The kitchen and the living room were a mess after the previous night and with it being Christmas Eve, it seemed wise to get it cleaned.

“Well, last night was a disaster,” she muttered to herself.

She went into the living room to find Lucy asleep on the sofa. They hadn’t thought it wise to get her home in her inebriated state. Jane was sleeping on the pull out sofa in the study. Tess had gone back to the Traders, though under the circumstances she really wanted to stay until Daisy insisted they would be okay. They hadn’t gotten a call yet so all Daisy could assume is that Ellie was still in labour.

She sighed, went to the foot of the stairs and yelled “Tom! Come and help me clean up!”

There was a massive groan from upstairs, Tom came banging down the stairs, which caused Lucy to wake up, “I swear my son was quieter than you two put together.”

“You need any paracetamol?”

“No, I’ll cope. Where’s your mum?”

“Um… She went into labour last night,” Tom explained.

“What?” Disbelief was resonating in her term and she couldn’t quite hid the annoyance that she was the last to know about her niece’s impending arrival. “She’s too early.”

“It’s going to be fine. I did some googling last night. Five weeks early isn’t a massive problem,” Tom explained.

“Oh, let me present you with a medical degree why don’t I?” Lucy retorted

“For heaven’s sake, it is bad enough I had to deal with Mum and Jane last night. Don’t make me sit you both at that kitchen table,” Daisy warned. Her phone rang and she sighed, “Hi Mum.”

_“Any news?”_

“Not yet.”

Daisy went out the room while Tom rubbed the sleep from his eye, “You missed some fun last night. Other than Mum going into labour. Tess and Jane were ripping each other’s hair out.”

“Seriously, I missed that as well.”

“They… I wouldn’t say made up but they’ve reached a truce.”

“Oh that’s boring.”

Tom sighed and sat on the arm of the other sofa, “I’m just saying. It’s Christmas. Season of forgiveness.”

“You watch way too many films.”

“Well, it would suck for all of us if we had to deal with you and Olly at each other’s throats. I mean it is just London.”

“Where is Dayton?”

“He left.”

“I suppose I’d better call him.”

“Who?”

“Olly.”

Before the morning was up, they managed to return the house to a habitable state. Everyone had settled to watch a movie that they heard the front door go. Alec, looking rather tired, popped his head through the door without coming in.

“Where’s Mum?” asked Tom looking worried.

“She’s still in the hospital. I’ve just come to get you and Daisy. Take you to see your sister.”

“They’re both alright though?” Daisy asked.

On the drive to the hospital, Alec explained that Ellie’s labour had gotten complicated and the baby had to be born breech. Due to that and being slightly premature, the newborn had to spend the night in the NICU for monitoring, hence why he hadn’t called. Ellie was fine, just exhausted and sore. Mum and baby were both in the transitional ward when they arrived, with the wee tot sleeping peacefully in Ellie’s arms.

“Hey love,” Alec whispered as he kissed Ellie’s forehead.

“Oh my god, she’s gorgeous."

“She really is Mum,” Tom added.

“Yeah, she’s perfect,” Ellie soothed as her daughter made a small grumpy whine.

Ellie smiled as she watched her son and stepdaughter dote over their baby sister. Fred would have to wait until she was cleared to go home. He had been excited though so it would only bring joy. If only they could agree on a name.

Exhaustion had took hold of Ellie eventually, and found herself falling asleep just before visiting hours were over. She woke a few hours later to find Alec lying beside her with the baby resting on his stomach, smiling adoringly at her. His finger stroked over her tiny ear while her tiny fist gripped onto his larger index finger. Ellie smiled tiredly.

“Hey,” she whispered.

“Hey, Daisy and Tom have gotten a lift back. With any luck, we’ll be home by tomorrow morning.” Ellie sat up a bit, grimacing uncomfortably due to pain in everything below her pelvis. “You need a pain killer?”

“No. I’m fine. Daisy is right though: she’s gorgeous.”

“Of course she is. She looks just like her mum.”

“I don’t know. She has your lips.” Ellie stroked her daughter’s fist. “Alec, I think we should name her Lauren.”

“You really sure you want it?”

“She feels like a Lauren.” Alec kissed her on the lips. “Merry Christmas Alec.”

“Merry Christmas El.” The baby sneezed and her parents giggled. “Merry Christmas Lauren.”

 


End file.
